While major Big Box retailers have struggled to keep pace with consumer-driven demands for instant gratification, Sears Holdings has come up with new innovations to anticipate and serve shoppers with a new one-day ground delivery service supported by a dynamic DC network.

When an industry is changing rapidly, companies must adapt in order to survive. In this whitepaper, a global publisher was seeking a partner that could mitigate risk and build a platform flexible enough for their shifting customer expectations. The solution enabled the company to rewrite their operations game plan and transform their supply chain.

Join our panel of leading economic and transportation analysts as they share their exclusive insight on where rates are headed and the issues that will be driving those rate increases over the next 12 months.

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Wednesday, March 16, 2011

The high volume and frequency of orders placed over the Internet combined with a multitude of available products from retailers make automated scanning at logistics centers more important than ever. This paper will analyze the current state of barcode scanning applications and investigate potential for improvement, focusing on the most common applications performed by distribution centers today.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

In the previous Oil & Fuel column, I explained that throughout 2010 and early 2011 tight diesel markets had been pressuring the price of crude in much the same way that they did during the 2008 price run. My intention was to write a follow-up article this month that compared the factors underpinning tight diesel markets then and now. However, the rising turmoil in the oil-rich Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has taken the markets by surprise, and thus deserves attention.

Following a cumulative 29.8 cent hike over the previous two weeks. Diesel prices checked in with a 3.7 cent increase to $3.908 per gallon, noted the EIA. On an annual basis, diesel prices are up 98.4 cents.

As truck tonnage levels show decent annual growth levels with capacity remaining tight, it does not come as a surprise to see the trucking spot market continue running along at a swift level. That is the consensus from TransCore which said in a recent release that truckload freight availability increased by 12 percent for the week ending March 5, according to traffic in its TransCore TrendLines report.

While most of the world’s focus was on Japan’s response to its earthquake and related crisis, trade experts were quietly working behind the scenes in Washington last week to establish a long-term strategy for rebuilding that country’s economy.

Despite an 11 percent decline in net orders for Class 8 vehicles from January to February, the fundamentals that support demand in the heavy-duty commercial vehicle market remain strong, according to ACT Research, a provider of data and analysis for trucks and other commercial vehicles.